Hearing this, Yanami's gaze toward him suddenly changed—becoming very complex, filled with both shock and a hint of fear, like, "So you're such a master of romance…" But she had to admit—
"That's a great idea!"
She tried to put herself in that situation and realized that this combo would increase intimacy by at least ten points.
The excited Blue-haired girl moved a little closer to him. She looked at the boy's face, now so close to her, and suddenly realized she didn't know when she had gotten so close to Kiyono. She could even clearly see his long eyelashes and his face in deep thought…
She was surprised to find that she didn't resist being this close to a man other than her childhood friend… Perhaps it was because of his usual dismissive attitude toward her? And this angle… it was a bit like the male lead in her favorite shoujo manga.
Meanwhile, Kiyono, deep in thought, inexplicably caught a faint, elegant, orchid-like fragrance. He raised his head and met Yanami's eyes.
The girl had bright eyes like a clear lake, transparent to the bottom, with ripples of light reflected in them. This girl was truly beautiful when she was quiet… Kiyono paused, then quickly cleared his throat, straightened up, and created some distance.
He was guilty; for a moment, he had had such a thought about Miss Otter!
...
After quickly moving away from the girl, Kiyono silently chanted "pure love" three times and "otter" three times, and then he suddenly snapped out of it.
Looking at Yanami's pretty face again, that faint flutter of emotion instantly became dull and uninteresting.
But then again, Miss Yanami, why don't you maintain some distance from the opposite sex? It's precisely because of your carefree personality that you'll become a losing dog! But… this is also one of Yanami's personality traits as a girl, isn't it? At least he didn't dislike this "friendly" way of interacting.
And when Yanami saw Kiyono's exaggerated movements, the tiny bit of girlish sentiment that had just emerged instantly died, even turning into dissatisfaction.
Why do I feel like you're so disgusted with me? This development isn't quite right! Don't boys usually get very happy when they interact with a beautiful girl like her?
Although she had liked her childhood friend for a long time, she still had a correct understanding of her own charm. She was often approached by strangers… So she was actually very sensitive to attraction from the opposite sex. Perhaps it was precisely because of Kiyono's clear "disgust" that she could get along with him so easily and happily.
But there was still a bit of dissatisfaction—a feeling that her charm as a woman was being denied!
She glanced at Kiyono, and both of them let out a soft huff.
"Anyway, let's do it this way for now!" Yanami ruffled her hair, bringing the topic back.
Kiyono nodded, and then the two of them went to the childhood friend group's table. Kiyono, with a smile, introduced the topic of couple's meals and couple's photos, while Yanami observed from the side—
The more she watched, the more amazed she became. This guy's linguistic artistry was truly excellent. Coupled with his gentle and harmless face, he managed to pique their interest without arousing any suspicion or awkwardness. She remembered her first impression of Kiyono seemed to be similar…
"This isn't very good for Lemon, is it? We're not boyfriend and girlfriend. What if our classmates see us…"
Ayano Mitsuki pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat tempted but still decisively refusing.
"I—I don't mind!"
The sports-loving beautiful girl sitting opposite instantly changed from a joyful expression to an anxious one, slamming the table and uttering the standard losing-dog line. Let's bestow upon you the title of Legendary Losing Dog.
This was already over.
Seeing the subtle change in the glasses-wearing man's expression, Kiyono secretly shook his head and stopped pushing the couple's meal. He left this scene to Yanami and watched from the side—anyway, the store was very empty right now.
After Ayano Mitsuki expressed his polite refusal, a stiff atmosphere flowed between the two. Yanami's gaze drifted across their faces. She pursed her lips and chose to actively join their conversation, gradually making the atmosphere brighter and more cheerful.
The three of them smiled and began chatting about school matters: bento, clubs, exams, emotions, friends… People of the same age always have endless topics, endless gossip and worries, and countless threads of emotion converging to form the most beautiful and radiant things—that is the best time of youth.
These were things he had no connection to.
Kiyono looked at Yanami. At this moment, the Blue-haired girl's pretty face wore a lazy, innocent expression, the kind one would only show when sitting in a school classroom—a side of her he had never seen, tender and about to bloom.
They lived in different worlds—he clearly realized this.
It wasn't that he felt inferior or anything; with his golden finger, his future was foreseeable—he always believed he would succeed. It was just an acknowledgment of the current disparity between them.
Yanami Anna was a high school girl from a happy family, with a dignified appearance, many friends, and loved by many. Meanwhile, he was just a waiter without even a place to live, and a budding writer whose manuscript hadn't been accepted yet. If others knew the truth, they would probably wonder why Yanami would talk to someone like him.
If even Yanami was like this, then what about Yukino? What about that beautiful, bright moon?
—So what kind of cuckold system is this?! It doesn't even consider his initial status!
Kiyono exhaled, no longer paying attention to Yanami and her friends, and continued wiping the tables.
A moment later, the Blue-haired girl naturally sidled up to him.
"Do you think those two will get together?" Yanami was caught in the woes of youth.
"Childhood friends are doomed," Kiyono stated with absolute certainty.
"That's so mean! Childhood friends are clearly the attribute with the highest chance of winning!" The girl angrily gnashed her teeth.
Unlike when she was with her classmates, she didn't specifically talk much about school matters, as if she had sensed something special about Kiyono.
As time passed, the restaurant became lively. Lemon and her childhood friend also finished their meal, waved goodbye to the two, and left without disturbing their work.
Kiyono and Yanami began their usual division of labor.
But not long after, he noticed something unusual.
Yanami was too slow.
Kiyono was a bit surprised. Over the past few days of working together, they had developed a tacit understanding. When he reached out, the girl knew what he wanted, and conversely, he had figured out Yanami's speed of action. This was an abnormal situation.
After thinking for a moment, Kiyono glanced toward the dining area, but the scene that met his eyes made him frown.
The girl was…
"Being hit on?"
...
At a window seat in the front, Yanami was dealing with a customer with a troubled expression. Kiyono's gaze followed, and there were two men sitting at the table.
One of the men had a striking, samurai-like hairstyle: the sides shaved high, the remaining long hair tied up at the back of his head. His single eyelids were long and narrow, and he exuded a sharp aura. He seemed to be a working adult.
The other person had dyed yellow hair and shiny earrings. Because of his sycophantic style, let's just call him Yellow-haired Lackey.
Kiyono overheard their conversation.
"My name is Ishida Kazuyuki. You're really cute. Please give me your LINE account."
The samurai-haired man took out his phone, a frivolous smile on his lips. He spoke as if requesting, but his actual attitude was overbearing.
As expected, it was a pickup attempt—and a difficult one at that.
Kiyono took a step, ready to intervene at any moment.
He would not allow any cuckolding behavior to happen in front of him!
But Yanami was much smarter than he imagined. Faced with the customer's unreasonable demand, the girl blinked and tilted her head slightly.
"LINE? I'm sorry, sir, my LINE account has been banned…"
"Huh? Why?" Ishida and his companion were stunned.
"Because the last time I promoted a certain casino in Kabukicho, it was so unscrupulous that I lost over two million… and then it was reported, and my account was banned."
Yanami lightly stuck out her tongue. Beneath her seemingly pure and cute exterior, a dark heart was hidden!
Oh! Deliberately slandering herself to deter the suitor—that's a good move, Miss Yanami!
Kiyono paused, wanting to see if the other party would retreat in the face of difficulty.
"Is that so? Then just tell me your phone number. Next time, I'll take you to a place that's absolutely fair to play at." Ishida tapped his fingers on the table, ignoring his subordinate's desperate headshakes and hints, and spoke with interest.
"Hmm, I'm afraid to use my phone because I borrowed terrible usury before; otherwise, shady groups would call to harass me at any time…"
Yanami's pretty smile gradually became forced. Clearly, this was her first time encountering someone so persistent.
Kiyono was also speechless. The girl's refusal was already very obvious, but the other party still relentlessly pestered her—a truly annoying fellow.
"Stop joking around. Give me your contact information, or I'll just wait here indefinitely."
Ishida stood up. He was a head taller than Yanami, and coupled with his sharp gaze, he had quite a deterrent effect.
Yanami bit her lip.
She was a bit at a loss for what to do. She didn't want to give her number, and she didn't want to cause trouble for the store. Hakamada Sosuke, where are you… After a moment of hesitation, she still prepared to take out her phone, ready to try and fool the other party for now…
Looking at the Blue-haired girl's expression, Kiyono took a deep breath.
He couldn't stand it.
Although he couldn't be the cool male lead…
He had his own methods.
Kiyono picked up a plate from the table.
"Crash—!!!"
The crisp sound of shattering made the entire restaurant fall silent for a moment. The next instant, everyone's eyes turned to them. Yanami, who had already taken out her phone, and Ishida were also drawn in, their faces filled with shock.
A stack of plates fell heavily to the floor, and shards reflected dazzling light under the lamps.
Kiyono looked at the shattered plates on the ground, stunned for two seconds as if he hadn't reacted, then quickly bent down.
"I'm so sorry! I'll clean this up right away!"
A standard bow—pure craftsmanship.
The dining customers cast strange glances, while the surrounding waiters rushed over with cleaning tools. Seeing this, Yanami's eyes lit up. She seized the opportunity to come to Kiyono's side, put on gloves, and helped him pick up the shards.
"Kiyono-kun actually made a mistake. That's rare," Yanami whispered to him.
"I'm not a robot. It's normal to make mistakes," Kiyono said, head bowed, his voice calm.
"Is that so…" Yanami tilted her head, and for some reason, she smiled like a sunflower.
While the waiters were cleaning up the shards, Ishida "tsk"ed with an annoyed expression. But he knew that after such an interruption, he had completely lost his chance today…
Nine p.m., after the restaurant closed.
Big Sister Shiho symbolically scolded Kiyono, told him to be more careful next time, and deducted half an hour's pay. That was the end of the matter.
The other seniors didn't care much; in fact, most of them were kind. After all, everyone makes mistakes when they've worked for a long time. It was rather rare that Kiyono had only made a mistake now.
The staff clocked out one after another.
The manager left with the customers, then the supervisor, the chef… And the important task of mopping the floor until it shone and arranging the ingredients neatly, of course, fell to the hope of Japan—the Reiwa man.
Fortunately, there was overtime pay.
"I must earn back the lost gold coins today!"
Kiyono clenched his fist, took out a large mop, and grunted as he pulled it back and forth across the floor—working with his hands while his mind was still fantasizing about his novel's plot. The clear water in the nearby bucket became murky after multiple washes.
When he came to his senses, the store was already deserted.
Kiyono put down the mop and looked up.
Inside the restaurant, every part of the floor was spotless, but there was no one there. The half of the area he had cleaned was dark, and through the transparent window, he could see the moon hanging high in the night sky—extremely beautiful, and extremely lonely.
The street outside the window had already fallen into slumber.
Whether it was the lights of homes or the aroma of dinner, everything had faded into the deep night.
"Today, I also upheld my beliefs," Kiyono sighed softly.
But then, he suddenly heard a sound from the back kitchen.
"Kiyono-kun! I'm here to help you!"
A bright voice seemed to dispel the night sky.
Kiyono turned around in surprise and saw a flash of blue come toward him.
The girl's skirt and hair swayed slightly as she ran. She brushed a strand of hair back, put her hands behind her back, and her smile under the moonlight was sweet and charming.
"Why are you still here?" Kiyono asked in surprise. The girl rarely worked overtime in the evenings because she still had school.
"Be… because I want overtime pay!" Yanami's eyes darted around, and her cherry lips parted as she spoke naturally.